According to a KPBS post today, June 25th, Capital Power is withdrawing its request to the City of San Diego to build a power plant in University City on Pueblo lands. They will not be appearing before the Rules Committee tomorrow, Tuesday June 26th as expected. Councilwoman Sherri Lightner told KPBS that she believed there were not enough votes to get the request on the November ballot. Capital Power hasn’t given up on the project. They will begin a public relations campaign in the future.

The planning committee meeting to discuss the issue will go on as planned tonight. Monday, June 25, 6pm at the University Community Planning Group meeting, Forum Hall, UTC Mall (above Wells Fargo Bank)

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This report from the University Community Planning Group Meeting held 6 pm on June 25:
“You would have enjoyed the UC Planning Group meeting tonight. It was packed. SRO. Sherri and Tony Young were there, as were Ray Ellis and Dave Roberts. Dave was eloquent and got a huge amount of applause. .. The mayor’s representative, Russ Gibbons, and the people from Capital Power were stunned at the reaction they got. No one spoke for the plant and doctors, engineers and scientists brought up huge health and environmental risks. In the end, of course, the UCPG voted it down now and in the future! I hope they get the message and leave SD for good.”

There were a couple of TV cameras there so perhaps it will be on the news tonight.

The power plant won’t be on the November ballot, but please stay vigilant. Capital Power of Canada has been planning it in secret along with Mayor Sanders for two years (without the knowledge of the city council) and they have already thrown a lot of money into it. They are not going to give up easily.

I am a University City homeowner and the parent of a young child. I received a letter from my city council member 6/21 and that was the first time I heard anything about this proposed power plant. My first impression was that it sounded like a bad idea, but I tried to keep an open mind and went to the 6/25 planning group meeting – not to comment, but listen and learn more.

The place was packed. There was standing room only when we got there. After listening to Capital Power’s spiel and a big load of BS from the Mayor’s representative, the citizens really let them have it. It’s too bad Sanders was not there himself because he deserves to take heat for this more than anyone. People are outraged for a number of very good reasons not the least of which is that if this plant is built it absolutely will have a negative impact on our health and our quality of life. Home owners, prospective home buyers, business owners, local environmentalists, parents, physicians, scientists, engineers, researchers – everyone was strongly against it, including our council member Sheri Lightner and her Republican opponent Ray Ellis. Not one single person voiced support. I left convinced this is a terrible idea and I intend to do whatever I can to help fight it. I don’t want it in my backyard or anyone else’s. Natural gas plants are NOT clean (despite what they will tell you) and we do not need to be building another one. There are better alternatives.

Quote from the letter sent from Capital Power to Mayor Sanders office on 6/25/12: “Rather than have this matter proceed to a city-wide vote in November 2012, our preference would be to begin the public engagement process now, in collaboration with the city, with a view to bringing this item forward in a future election once sufficient engagement has taken place.”

TRANSLATION – We know that this thing will not fly if put it to a vote in November, so we are going to dump an insane amount of cash into a PR campaign that we hope will convince voters to accept it at a later date.

Prepare yourself for the onslaught of lies and distortions. It is coming, and when it does I hope you won’t be fooled because our health and San Diego’s energy future depends on it.

Thank you to Sherri Lightner for taking a strong leadership role in stopping the power plant — at least for now. Thank you to Tony Young for attending the UC Planning Group meeting. We must remain vigilant and seriously re-think the strong mayor form of government. The people of San Diego must push for renewable energy ONLY! What if they took the $billions that it would take to build an 850 MW plant and installed solar on the roof of every home, apartment, school, library and office building in San Diego? We would be a model for the country and have enough safe power to last us forever.